• GILBERT P. BAYORAN
More motorists going to various destinations in Silay City in Negros Occidental can now be accommodated with the widened Silay-Lantawan Road, according to the Department of Public Works and Highways.
DPWH regional director Sanny Boy Oropel said the widened road will facilitate mobility for people and goods. The roadway widening can increase the capacity of a traffic corridor by adding lanes for vehicles. This improvement has a positive economic and social development impact.
“The widened road will facilitate an increased traffic capacity, provide more convenient travel, reduce travel time from one point to another, and ensure cost-efficient delivery of products from farms to the market,” Oropel said in a statement issued by DPWH.
“This road improvement will significantly improve tourism development in the province. This better road condition will encourage more tourists to visit magnificent destinations, hence, would help improve the economic condition of the people in the area,” he added.
Undertaken by DPWH Negros Occidental 1st District Engineering Office, the P14 million project involves widening from 2 to 4 lanes of the 374-lane meter portion of Silay-Lantawan Road, which is an entry point to several destinations in Negros Occidental.
OIC-District Engineer Dene Baldonado Jr. said widening the said road section will benefit local community and motorists and road users, as well as tourists plying along the said highway.
“The conversion of this road segment from two to four lanes will improve the road segment’s capacity in terms of traffic density and provide safer lanes for the slower moving vehicles,” he said.
He added that widening the lanes at a bend can reduce the risk of head-on crashes by giving drivers more room to get around the bend without crossing into the opposing lane. This will improve safety, especially for larger vehicles.*
